Texas A&M-Galveston researchers are part of a team trying to determine the travel habits of the bluefin tuna, an overfished species that is highly sought for its tender meat.
In January 2019, a 612-pound bluefin tuna sold for a record 333.6 million yen ($3 million) at a Tokyo auction celebrating the opening of a new market. Though the price was inflated for the event’s sake, bluefin normally sell for up to $40 per pound, rising to over $200 per pound near the year’s end, especially for valuable catches from specific regions.
David Wells, an associate professor in the Department of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston, said it’s crucial to know about the fish’s habit and its breeding grounds.
“Considering their value, popularity with sport fishing in California and events like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, anthropogenic inputs are important to know and could affect this species in relation to the spawning ground,” Wells said. “It’s important to be able to source the fish arriving at the California coast. Bluefin are prized as the highest quality of sushi grade tuna in the world. They’re in demand all across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and people will pay top dollar for them.”
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